There’s just so much to love about Porto, like its quaint narrow streets lined with idyllic cafés, historic buildings, castles, churches—and, oh, the port wine! Part of this is all the Porto Museums you can explore.
For such a small city, the number of Porto museums visitors can explore is quite impressive.
What’s really great is that being such a walkable city, it’s easy to take a walking tour of Porto’s main attractions.
To help you plan your visit, I’ve put together this list of 8 Porto museums you can’t miss!
8 Porto Museums to Visit
1. Museu Serralves
There are so many good reasons to visit the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, which is a part of Portugal’s renowned cultural institution, the Serralves Foundation.
One, the art is amazing. The Serralves museum is completely dedicated to contemporary art and elevating the appreciation for established and emerging artists.
Their projects include a robust art collection, performances, temporary exhibitions, and educational programs.
Also, the museum grounds are gorgeous! A green 18-hectare park surrounds the building that includes several points of interest, including the Serravales villa.
If you’re thinking this sounds like the perfect spot for summer concerts, you’re right! You’ll find those too.
The coolest part? Take a walk along the tree canopy with the “Treetop Walk,” an intricate wooden walkway that winds through the park’s trees. Talk about a birds-eye view!
Address: Rua Dom João de Castro 210, Porto
Price: General ticket 20€ (includes access to the Contemporary art museum, Serralves park and Manoel de Oliveira house of cinema). You can also buy partial tickets to visit the museum, park (Treetop Walk included), villa, or house of cinema only.
2. Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis
If you want to visit Porto’s most prominent and Portugal’s oldest museum, then the Dos Reis National Museum is a must.
You’ll find many fine pieces of art history on display, including ceramics, antiques, and glass artwork.
But its most famous collections are the paintings and sculptures by famous Portuguese artist, António Soares dos Reis, who the museum was named after.
Another bonus of visiting the museum is strolling the gardens of Portugal’s oldest palace, the Carrancas Palace, which houses the museum.
The magnificent palace served as a private residence for many renowned figures since the 18th century, including Duke Wellington and Brazil’s Pedro I.
Address: Rua de Dom Manuel 56, Porto
Price: Adults 5€ (50% discount for Porto card holders, youth and seniors)
3. Museum of the Holocaust
As the newest addition to Porto’s museum treasure trove, Porto’s Museum of the Holocaust is one of the world’s few that’s run by a Jewish community.
The museum opened in April 2021 with a noteworthy mission: to support the government project “Nunca Esquecer, em torno da memória do Holocausto“ [Never Forget, around the memory of the Holocaust].”
Visitors will see impactful exhibits, like a reproduction of Auschwitz dorms, before and after-Holocaust photographs and films, a flame memorial, and objects left in the Porto Synagogue by refugees during World War II.
Address: Rua Dom João de Castro 210, Porto
Price: Free admission
4. Tram Museum
The Museu do Carro Eléctrico, as it’s called in Portuguese, is a charming museum that’s dedicated to restored historical streetcars—starting from the earliest horse-pulled kind to vintage trams from the 1950s.
Viewing these relics is like taking a journey back into the city’s history, as Porto was one of the first cities in the Spain and Portugal region to adopt this popular means of transportation back in 1895.
It’s interesting to see the progression of the trams and, even though their numbers greatly declined after more modern transport arrived, Porto still has many trams that run on a daily basis.
Fun bonus: every museum admission ticket is valid for a free single journey ride on one of Porto’s vintage trams.
Address: Alameda de Basílio Teles 51, Porto
Price: Adults 4€ (discounts for kids and seniors)
5. Military Museum
If you’re a war buff, you’ll enjoy this small museum. Yes, you’ll see all the things you might expect in a military museum—army uniforms, a collection of vintage weapons, artillery, and vehicles.
But something that the Porto military museum has that’s really cool is an intricate collection of soldier figurines. These miniatures represent armies from around the world and some of the most prominent military figures and dictators throughout history, like Ramses II and Hitler.
It’s not super big so it’s worth a quick stop, especially if you’re interested in war history.
Address: Rua do Heroísmo 329, Porto
Price: Adults 3€ (1€ for kids and seniors, free for kids under 6)
6. Casa Museu Guerra Junqueiro
You’ll find this house museum, a Baroque-style mansion from the 18th century, nestled in Porto’s charming neighborhood of Cathedral.
It was once the home of renowned Portuguese poet and writer, Guerra Junqueiro, who owned a vast collection of beautiful antiques and Portuguese silver.
You’ll also see some gorgeous jewelry on display, plus ceramic figurines and sculptures. But it’s really the mansion itself that’s the most impressive. The house’s facade and interior architectural design are really something.
If you’re strolling through Cathedral (which is highly recommended!), it’s worth popping in for a look.
Address: Rua de Dom Hugo 32
Price: 2.20€ (free for Porto cardholders and students, and free on Saturday and Sunday)
7. Romantic Museum
I know, by the name, I was thinking this museum had some grandiose Portuguese love story to tell.
But it’s actually an 18th-century mansion museum that showcases various aspects of Romanticism, the artistic period. Which is still pretty cool!
The mansion that houses the Romantic Museum of Quinta da Macieirinha served as a refuge for Carlos Alberto of Sardinia after he abdicated from his defeat by the Imperial Austrian army. This is where he lived for his last year until he died of tuberculosis in 1849.
The interior is made up of elaborately decorated rooms with beautiful paintings of the time period and antiques.
The museum—and especially the mansion’s architecture—showcases romanticism in its many aspects from art and literature, to music and film.
And there are the stunning Crystal Palace Gardens surrounding the house that you don’t want to miss.
Address: Rua de Entre Quintas 220
Price: 2.20€ (free for Porto card holders)
8. World of Discoveries
For a really cool way to learn more about Portuguese history, you need to check out World Discoveries, Museu Interativo & Parque Temático. It’s an interactive experience that involves getting onboard a Portuguese sailing ship where you’ll embark on a journey to discover new worlds.
The World of Discoveries also includes lots of exhibits where you can press buttons and learn through hands-on interaction. It’s a colorful specialty museum that’s fun for kids and adults alike.
Address: Rua de Miragaia 106, Porto
Price: Adults 15€ (discounted prices for booking online, plus discounts for kids, seniors and students. Free for kids under 3)
Those were all my 8 must-see Porto museums! I highly recommend adding some of these spots to your Porto travel itinerary.
Most of these museums offer amazing tours and have them running for hours all day so you don’t miss it. If you decide to stop at any of these amazing museums, be sure to tag me on Insta @wtfab so I can see. 😊
Heading to Porto? Check out my other Porto travel guides here.
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Top 20 Things to Do in Porto Portugal
Boutique Hotels in Porto
Airbnb Porto
The 14 Most Beautiful Places in Portugal
Azulejos in Porto: The Best Places to See Blue Tiles in Porto
FAQs
The best Porto museums are:
– Museu Serralves
– Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis
– Tram Museum
There are some Porto museums that are free and some that do have an admission fee. Be sure to check their websites beforehand.
The best time to visit Porto is from May to September when the weather will be at its best.
Elise Armitage is an entrepreneur and founder of What The Fab, a travel + lifestyle blog based in California. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday. Since then, she’s launched her SEO course Six-Figure SEO, where she teaches bloggers how to create a passive revenue stream from their website using SEO. Featured in publications like Forbes, Elle, HerMoney, and Real Simple, Elise is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style.
